Only Human
by LightPhyre
Summary: Yui Komori's parents have gone missing, and she's forced to live in a house of strangers until the police can find them. But this house is filled with vampires who aren't the friendliest. An incident causes Yui to lose a lot of her memories and she begins a new, stranger life with her new family until her real one is found... contins Yui x Subaru x Laito x Shuu
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One:

Yui Komori was anything but a rebel. She listened to her elders, did her homework on time, and never broke her curfews. She was what some would call the perfect child. She respected and admired her parents and never once disobeyed them. She cared about her family above all else and her selflessness reflected in how she acted with them.

But less than a month ago, her parents disappeared, leaving her alone.

Having parents who traveled for work, Yui never stayed in one place for too long, so it wasn't news to her that she had to go somewhere different once again. She wasn't too fond of cities, and she preferred a more rural area to live in, but unfortunately her new home was only a couple miles from the heart of one of the largest cities in the country.

Her mother used to be a stay-at-home mom, but a few years back she got a job she rarely talked about. All Yui knew was that it paid well and it was some kind of office job. She could picture her mother working behind a desk, so she never asked too many questions. Her father, on the other hand, never spoke about his work, and disregarded any and all questions that Yui had ever asked him about it. She didn't think it was too strange—feeling that her father would never hide anything important from her. So she never asked him about it after realizing that her questions bothered him.

When it happened, Yui had been in school. When she got home, her mother and father were both out, as usual. But she made dinner and sat at the kitchen table for hours, and neither of them ever came home since then. She'd stayed up all night before finally calling the police and beginning the whole investigation.

But it had been a month, and there was no sign of either of them.

Yui was positive that they were still alive. The simple fact that they had different jobs, and yet both went missing at the same time was her first clue. The second was a note that her father had left her, giving her instructions on what to do if he ever went missing. She knew he was out there somewhere, doing god knew what…

It was the police that had found the note. They scanned it for fingerprints and forgery and the likes, but they all agreed that her father was the writer and his instructions were his alone—Yui was to move into the house of strangers. Her father didn't say his affiliation with these people. For all she knew, her father had chosen a family at random. But hoping that she would be safe, she followed her father's vague instructions.

The only information the police had given her was the location of the home—a couple miles from the city and a few more from the local high school. She was also given the last name of her new guardian family—Sagamaki. There was also a man by the name of Karl Heinz who was the owner of the home, but she wasn't sure what his affiliation was either.

So Yui had packed her things and gotten into the limousine and sat and waited for the car ride to be over. She spent over five hours looking out of the tinted windows, trying to remember which turns she had taken and how she could possibly get home. Unfortunately, after the fifth or sixth turn down back roads, she'd lost her sense of direction. She had no idea what was around here, or how she would even begin trying to get home. She just figured that she would stay here until her father came to get her. And he would come… She trusted him.

For the past month, she'd been living alone in her empty house, hoping her parents would show up at the doorstep and say it was all one big joke. But that never happened, and now she was being thrown into a world she knew nothing of. But that wasn't anything new to her. Another high school. Another community. Another environment. She was used to things not staying the same. The only difference was that this time her parents weren't with her, and that had never happened before. She was wary about being on her own.

And as the limousine finally pulled up a long and narrow driveway, Yui grabbed her bags and prepared to exit the vehicle. When it stopped and parked, she opened her door and stepped outside. The first thing she realized was the weather—it was dreary and foggy, as if a thunderstorm was coming any second now. The clouds were large and dark, and the sun was nowhere in sight. The next thing she noticed was her new home. Simply put, she wasn't expecting something so… extravagant. The home was more like a mansion, and the property was lined with trimmed hedges. There were gardens and fountains lining the driveway, all leading up to the huge edifice. A thick wood surrounded the property, making the mansion the center of a large, open field.

Two double doors stood as the entrance above a small flight of cement steps and a brick path leading out to the driveway.

Yui jumped when the engine of the limousine revved and the driver took off. The weather made the house and the atmosphere very ominous, and she was eager to get inside and meet her new housemates. She also had many questions to ask them about her parents. Maybe they knew something about why they went missing all of a sudden. She assumed that they had to know something if they were in her father's letter. She felt like she could trust these strangers. Her father would never lead her into harm's way. He would send her somewhere that he knew she would be safe. So she would trust in her father's judgment and decision-making.

It wasn't long before she regained her confidence and knocked on the huge double doors. She took a step back and waited for someone to answer. But after at least a minute she frowned and knocked again. When no one came to open the door after another minute had gone by, she checked the handle and realized that it was open. Not wanting to enter without permission, but fearful of the threatening rain clouds, she decided to just take a couple steps inside. She let the door shut gently behind her.

The large home opened up with a high-ceiling foyer. A bright chandelier hung from the very top, and candelabras lined the walls. She wondered how anyone could stand to have to light so many candles and keep them lit, especially when the chandelier served so much light to begin with.

In the center of the foyer was a wide staircase that opened up halfway and wrapped around the walls. The steps were lined with a red carpet on a lighter hardwood floor. The railings on each side looked delicately carved and shined. The people who lived here clearly kept their house very clean. She didn't doubt that there were probably housekeepers running about all day long.

Yui only had a few bags—one large wheeled one, another large tote, and a smaller handbag over her right shoulder. She set the tote on the ground and readjusted the handbag on her shoulder for comfort.

"Hello?" she gently called out. "Is anyone home?"

There was no reply, and Yui looked around. Weren't they expecting her?

She waited for another minute before she couldn't just stand there anymore, looking lost and dumbfounded. She picked up her bag and grabbed the handle of her rolling suitcase, heading off to the right side of the foyer. Large pillars in the middle of the floor made it almost hard to see where she was going. She noticed multiple hallways in her general direction and wondered if she should just wait for someone to notice that she'd arrived. She pulled out her phone and checked the time—she was a few minutes late, but not by much. She stared at the screen for a moment, wondering if she should send her father and mother a text. Of course she'd tried already, multiple times in the past month, but she never received a reply. She knew now would be no different, so she sighed and lowered her phone.

"Hello?" she tried calling out again, a little louder than last time. She turned around to look all around her, but there was still no one here. "Is there someone here?" she asked, feeling like she was shouting in a library.

She sighed and turned back towards the double doors—and froze. A man with orange hair was leaning up against the wall a few yards away. His eyes were closed and he had headphones in his ears. His head was facing downward, but when she looked at him, he slowly tilted his head up and opened his eyes. He looked very tired, and Yui wanted to say something, but his expression was off. He was looking at her in a strange way.

Before she could muster the courage to speak, the man pushed himself off the wall and slowly approached her, his eyes leaving hers every few seconds and swaying to the floor. Yui gulped when he wasn't far from her, and before she knew it, the man was on top of her. He tilted his head, and with a bored expression, he lifted one finger and placed it over his lips, shushing her even though the room was dead silent to begin with.

Yui's breathing stopped when he wrapped one arm around her slowly and suddenly pulled her close to him. And then he tugged further, pressing her breasts flush against him. Her heart was beating loudly in her chest when she felt his warm breath on her neck. Why couldn't she move?

"—Shuu-san."

In an instant, the orange-haired man was away from her, back up against a closer wall, his arms crossed, his eyes closed and his head lowered to the sound of his silent music. Yui jumped when she saw a purple-haired man with glasses glaring at her. Her eyes widened. What was going on?

"I… I was told to come here—"

"I don't care," the new man said, crossing his arms, "about your excuses. Now, tell me who you are and what you're doing here."

Excuses?

"M...My name is Yui Komori," she began, her voice trembling. Why did these two men startle her so much? She was scared of them. "I'm here because… uhm… my father… told me to stay here until he gets back from… wherever he is..."

The purple-haired man glared at her and lifted his chin.

"Take her phone."

In another instant, someone else was beside her and she whipped around and yelped in surprise.

"Oh, now don't start making noises like that or you won't even last a day in here. My brothers can be quite greedy."

This new man wore a hat over his red hair and he had one freckle under his bottom lip. The only reason she could see that was because of how close he was getting to her. He jumped forward suddenly, obviously trying to scare her, and swiped at her hand, snatching her phone. Yui yelped again and then glared at him.

"May I please have that back?" She tried to make her voice sound demanding and confident, but it would barely come out to begin with.

"Mmm, there's those noises again… I can't promise I won't try to stop myself next time."

Yui suddenly didn't care about getting her phone back. She just wanted to get away from these people. They were threatening. Every fiber in her body told her that she was in danger. She didn't understand why, but she knew to trust her gut feelings.

"Now, now, Laito. Be nice to our guest. No one should touch her before we figure out why she's here."

"She probably got lost," the man with the hat said—Laito. "And we all know what happens when little flies wander into a spider's web."

"She said someone told her to come here," the orange-haired man said. His voice was quite and stoic.

"Do you know anything about this, Shuu?" the purple-haired man asked, his attention finally diverted from her.

"There was this phone call a while ago... I almost forgot about it. Something about a girl coming here. I don't remember why."

"There, then that's settled."

"How does that settle anything?" the one with the hat frowned.

"At least we know she didn't come in here by accident."

"Excuse me..." Yui suddenly said, and the three strange men turned to her. "You don't know why I'm here?"

"Please enlighten us," the purple-haired man replied snottily, crossing his arms again and pushing up his glasses with his pointer finger.

"No, I… I don't know. I was hoping that you would know… My father—"

"Again with your father," a new voice snapped. "Who is this man? Who dares send his frail human daughter into our home and expect anything less than the worst?" Yui turned to find a white-haired man standing halfway down the wide flight of stairs, glaring daggers at her.

"Subaru… Do you know anything about this?"

"Tch," the man scowled, and headed up the stairs without another word.

"Well, if no one knows..."

"Where is Karl Heinz?" Yui asked, and the three man all looked at her in shock. "He owns this house, correct? May I speak with him?"

"Hopefully you never have the pleasure of meeting that man," the purple-haired man frowned. "How do you know his name?"

"I was told he owns this house."

"Technically, that's true."

There was an awkward moment of silence and Yui glanced back at the man with the hat, who was now going through her phone.

"May I have that back, please?" she repeated, holding out her hand. The man took a moment to glance at her and laugh before turning and heading off without another word, taking her cell phone with him, still playing with it. "You can't just take that..." she added weakly, turning back to the other two. She didn't expect either of them to help her, but she didn't know what else to do or say.

"You won't need that anymore," the purple-haired man sad quickly, pushing up his glasses again. "Someone will be along to take your bags. Until we find out why you were sent here, please try not to get yourself hurt. Feel free to pick out one of the rooms on the second floor for yourself."

Yui wanted to reply, but everyone was gone in the next second. They just vanished into thin air. She looked down and realized that her bags were gone as well. She was so confused, and her body was telling her to run away, but where could she go? These people had her things and her phone. And she was just offered a room. It was strange, but she still trusted her father's judgment, and supposed that this was the best thing for her right now. Even though it was strange, and she got strange vibes from the people and the atmosphere, she decided that it would be in her best interest to stay. This was also her only resource to find out where her father and mother were. She made a mental promise to herself to get out if she had a serious reason to feel like she was in danger, but until then… she was going to live here for a little while...

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She found a long hallway just at the top of the stairs in the foyer, and each room she looked in was a bedroom. She had just chosen one at random and stepped inside. Her bags weren't in there, and she wasn't even sure if she was going to get her things back at all. Why was she still here? That was a better question. This place felt like a prison, despite the elegant architecture and the extravagant living conditions. The bedroom was far from simple, just like the rest of the house. There was a king-size bed, a large dresser, closet, and even a vanity. There was also a pair of doors leading out to a small deck. The only thing she could think of that was lacking was the fact that it didn't have a bathroom attached. But she supposed with all the bedrooms in the house, that would be difficult. Mansions weren't exactly hotels…

Yui walked over to the glass double doors and pushed them open. She stepped outside and realized that this view was the back of the house. She hadn't see this when she arrived. The garden sin the back were aligned like a maze. There were quite a few rows of flowers and beds sat in square opening and crossroads between hedges. And she even thought she could see a garden of vegetables way in the back, closer to the woods than anything else.

Even though the people here were intimidating and strange, she was glad she didn't end up in some back-woods shed with a bunch of murderers… not that her father would send her to a place like that anyway, but it was better to look at the bright side of things.

"So you're the new toy?"

Yui jumped and whirled when she heard a voice directly behind her. He eyes widened when she was met with a young man with light purple hair, almost exactly her height, his eyes staring directly into hers less than a foot away from her face. She stumbled backward and hit the railing of the deck, her instincts reminding her that she was quite a distance from the ground below.

"Wh… Who are you?" she asked shakily.

The young man—Yui would have even described him as a boy—pointed behind him and motioned to Yui's bags. She also noticed a teddy bear in the boy's arms. It looked old and worn and sewn back together a few times.

"Oh… you brought my things… Thank y—"

"Shut up."

Yui froze. Even though this one seemed younger than the rest of the people in this house, she got even more threatening vibes from him. His eyes held no ounce of emotion, as if he could kill without a second thought. How could anyone be like that?

"D… Did you need something from me?" Yui asked warily.

"Don't be stupid. If I wanted anything, I could just take it from you. I wouldn't need your permission. How dare you ask me if I need something. You think I can't take care of myself...? Is that it?! Do you need me to prove it to you?! What do you know?! You're just a _toy_!"

Yui's eyes were wider than they'd ever been in her whole life. She was cornered on the deck. If this boy wanted to do anything to her, which now seemed likely, he would have no problem causing her harm. But as quickly as the boy was angered, he went back to being… content. He looked at his teddy bear and let loose a creepy smile. Then he started laughing and within a few seconds it became hysterical laughter. Yui just watched him, carefully, waiting for some kind of attack.

"Teddy says I shouldn't get mad at my toys like that," he suddenly said, rocking the stuffed bear back and forth in the air. "He reminded me what happens when I get mad at my toys… And I don't want to break you just yet. So try not to say anything that will make me mad, okay?" The boy smiled, turned around, and headed for the door. Yui stayed frozen-still until he closed it behind him.

She didn't know what to do. Everything told her that she needed to get out of here. These people were clearly dangerous. She wasn't a toy. What was that all about? And breaking her? What was that even supposed to mean? If they planned on hurting her, then she needed to get away from here as quickly as possible. She needed to just take what she needed and get out. She would leave everything else in here and just go. That was her only option.

She quickly rummaged through her bags for all her money and identification. She stuffed it all into a small bag with a strap and swung it over her shoulder. She grabbed just a couple pairs of underwear and tried not to look at the rest of the things she would be leaving behind, like photos and hand-me-down clothes from her mother. She worried about not having her phone, but it wasn't worth it to try and get it back at this point.

With her one bag, she quickly stepped outside of the extravagant bedroom and headed into the hallway. Thankfully, she knew her way back, and it wasn't a long walk back to the entrance. She hit the staircase at a slow jog and was in front of the door with no trouble in less than a minute. She didn't even glance behind her to check if anyone was watching. She just opened the door slowly, without making any loud noises, and closed it behind her in a hurry. Then she took off running down the driveway.

It took her a while to run the distance to the road, but she made it and paused to take a quick break, her hands on her knees. She could hear the hustle and bustle of the city not too far away from where she was, so she ignored the butterflies in her stomach from running away and the dark of the nighttime, and took off again at a slow jog, towards the sounds and smells of a busier area. Maybe there she would be able to find a phone and call the police. If not, she had enough money to afford a cheap motel for a few nights.

In about ten minutes, Yui found herself on the edges of the nearby city, and sighing with relief. She slowed her pace back to a normal walk and headed down the nearest sidewalk. There was a small crowd around, but not many because of how late it was getting. Families with children were all getting into their cars to go home, but the younger crowd stayed out. There were bars and clubs on the edge of the city, so Yui kept walking, hoping that she would see something like a bank or a post office instead of strip clubs and bars. She just kept her head down and kept walking.

She glanced up once when she heard a catcall and some whistles, but fortunately, they weren't for her. She picked up her pace a bit and looked around to see where she was. She did a double-take when she thought she saw the red-haired man in the hat through a small group of people, but when she blinked a few times and he was gone, she knew it had to be her imagination. She kept going.

She paused when she looked up and saw trees. Why did she hit a wooded area? This was supposed to be the road that went into the heart of the city. Had she taken a wrong turn when her head was down? She turned around and looked left and right, obviously lost. A man must have noticed because he started heading towards her. Yui saw him and froze again, feeling that same sensation of fear from before in the mansion.

"Can I help you, little miss?" the man asked, and he seemed sincere enough. "Are you lost?"

"Uhm… if you wouldn't mind, could I borrow your phone please?" Yui stammered. "I just need to make a quick call." She needed to call the police and have them come get her. She had no car and she hadn't seen a single taxi yet.

"Yea, I, uh, left it in my car, actually… Just come with me and I'll let you borrow it." The man motioned for her to follow and turned and walked further down the road, keeping one eye on her.

Yui could sense that this was a trap. She needed to find a way to call the police… right now. She wasn't safe out here. This wasn't the part of the city that she thought she was in. Finally letting herself raise her head to look around gave that away. She could see dark alleyways down every street, off every corner. People were leaning against walls, smoking things and laughing drunkenly. A few of them watched her with a bottle in their hands. And the man had just paused and motioned for her to come with him again. He wore a strange smirk.

"I actually think I have my phone on me. Sorry to bother you. Thank you," she said quickly, turning and rushing away in the opposite direction. She didn't look back as she walked. She just hoped to god that she wouldn't start hearing loud footsteps behind her.

"Where do you think you're going?" A voice called, and Yui could see it was from a man standing directly in her way. She held her breath and walked straight at him, trying to get him to let her pass, but as soon as she was close enough, he grabbed her with one arm and whipped her around, pulling her into an alley.

The first thing she did was scream.

A hand was clamped over her mouth after a few seconds and she was forced onto the ground by strong hands. She knew she had to fight, but her body wasn't responding to her need out of fear. She kicked her legs a little bit, but another set of hands held her down by her ankles. She twisted around and squirmed until she realized that it was the man she had asked for the phone from.

"Gotcha, little miss," he smiled, showing two rows of yellowed, rotting teeth. The men were together, and there were more of them from the look of things. There was a whole group, of five or six. And she'd been their prey. She'd had her head down so long that she didn't realize that she was being herded like a lamb.

They held her down, and even if she used all her strength, with the three holding her in place, she wouldn't be able to get away. She wouldn't even be able to hurt any of them. She would just die. She considered that fact that if she didn't fight, they would just hurt her and let her go, but that seemed naive… No, these men were going to do whatever they pleased. And then she was going to die. She could see it in their faces—their lack of caring for others. They didn't even like each other. They just all had the same goal— _her_.

She didn't realize she had been crying until the one man's hand slipped off her face from the wetness on her cheeks. He slapped her hard, and then covered her mouth again. She saw another man bend down, and the silver sheen of a blade flashed in front of her eyes. She cried harder, her sobs and mental pleas racking her body harder than she was fighting them.

When she felt a blade pierce the skin on her upper thigh, she instinctively opened her mouth so that the man's hand would slip inside, and she bit down hard on a finger, tasting blood. The man shrieked and tumbled backward, screaming a long list of profanities.

" _Fuckin-A_ , man! Just slice her tongue out. And cut her _fucking_ lips off. And then I'm gonna punch her until all her _fucking_ teeth fall out and her jaw snaps. I wanna fuck her face when she can't bite nobody. Jesus _fucking_ christ. You little cunt."

" _Help me_ _eeee_!" Yui screamed, realizing that her mouth was finally free and the shock wasn't making her freeze up at the moment. A hand slapped her across the face and then the same, now bloody hand cupped her mouth again. She could taste it dripping down her throat. She had to involuntarily swallow some and it made her gag.

"Will ya shut you' fucking mouth? It's not like anyone 'round here is gon' help you anyway. Unless you're lookin' fo' another kinda' help." The other men laughed, but Yui didn't get what was funny about that.

Suddenly, she was dragged to her feet and her back was slammed against a brick wall, expelling all the oxygen from her body in one force. A punch to her ribs made her double over, but another pair of hands brought her back up and slammed the back of her head against the wall. She saw stars.

When she felt a hand grope her chest, she kicked out, and a low yelp made her think that she hit something important. A flurry of curses followed and a backhand across her face slammed her cheek into the brick. She felt a trickle of blood down her face and into her hair. She had such a massive headache and she felt like vomiting. She tried to clutch at her face to ease the pain, but her hands were pinned as well, one being held and the other behind her back, feeling as if it would snap at any moment.

"That smells good..." Yui heard a familiar voice say, and then that same voice let out a few uncomfortable moans of pleasure. "That's something special if you ask me. And blood like that should never go to waste..."

She turned her head and painfully opened one eye. The man with the hat was standing at the mouth of the alleyway, watching her. His eyes were on her and he was smirking. Was he in on this? Did he ask these men to do this to her?

"Why are you doing something like this to such a fragile little girl, hmm?" He asked—Laito, was his name… "Teaming up on one little human doesn't seem very fair to me."

"Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?" the man with the bleeding finger snapped. So they weren't together… "Know your place, kid. Get the fuck outta here before we decide that we wanna play with you, too."

"Oh, but I love games," Laito sang, clapping his hands together a few times. What the hell was going on? His face suddenly got very dark. "And so do my brothers..."

Yui shrieked when she heard what sounded like a wrecking ball hit the wall to the left of her head, and pieces of something hit her face and she breathed in some kind of dust. Her headache intensified, but she was instantly released and she hit the ground like a heavy garbage bag, sprawling. He first instinct was to cradle the injury on her face, and when she brought her hand up, it was immediately covered in blood—her blood.

When the fear began to subside, pain became her whole world. She felt the sting of the deep cut on her thigh and the back of her head had to have at least a large bump. And the side of her face felt torn, like her skin had turned to ribbons. All she could do was softly groan as the pain forced her into submission. She was blissfully unaware of the fact that the fighting around her was long-over—a few men were dead on the sidewalk and the others had fled for their lives.

Yui was lifted into the air by strong hands and then cradled gently. She looked up and saw a patch of white hair and red eyes—glowing red eyes. They weren't watching her, but she knew that these were the eyes of one of the men in the mansion. He'd been the one on the stairs that hadn't said much. And even though she still feared them… they'd saved her.

"Thank you," she tried to say, but her voice didn't even come out.

And as the bleak darkness that threatened to overtake her swirled into her vision, the only thing she could see were the bright red eyes of her savior shining through the blackness that slipped her into unconsciousness.

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Yui's world opened up a little too brightly and she squinted in the light. She heard the sound of shudders being drawn and then the darkness returned and she tried to look around again. All she could see was the ceiling.

"Where… am I?" she whispered, hearing footsteps nearby.

"Where you should have stayed," a voice replied, sounding terse and irritated. Yui's mind was drawing a blank. What was this place? Where was her father?

"What happened to me? I feel awful..." She had a headache that vibrated her skull painfully, and her whole body was sore. Everything hurt, some things more than others.

"You would have been killed if Subaru and Laito hadn't followed you. You should thank them when you see them."

She still couldn't see who was talking, and she didn't have the strength or energy to move her head to look around the room. She could feel a blanket over her and a pillow under her head. The ceiling was white and spotless.

"I… don't remember… my parents… they're missing. I have to call the police and tell them… I need to find them. I have to talk to my father..."

"You hit your head pretty hard," a new voice said.

"We can't allow you to have contact with the outside world for a while."

"You lost a lot of blood… Which is bad for us, too, you know."

"We'll have you back on your feet in a few days. Until then… just don't run off again. A word of advice—if you leave this house, you're dead. I'm starting to understand why you were instructed to come here. You're welcome to leave whenever you want, but I would advise against it."

"I don't… understand. I can… barely… remember..."

"Just get better quickly. Then I'll explain things further to you."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two:**

It had been almost a full day since the incident, but many of Yui's memories weren't coming back to her. She could clearly remember her mother and father and coming to this place, and some of the things that happened that night, but other than that… things like her childhood, her past friends… it was all gone. She was hoping that they would eventually come back to her, but it seemed like the more she tried to remember the further away all of her thoughts became.

And then something hit her. She remembered her phone—it was taken away from her by the man in the hat. And she was betting that he still had it. She also recalled someone else saying that she wasn't allowed to contact anyone. It wasn't as if she had anyone to contact anyway. The only number she could imagine calling would be the police. But the last time she called the cops, they sent her here, and she wasn't sure if they knew what they were sentencing her to—she didn't even know. But she still remembered that she'd been afraid when she got here. The people in this house weren't friendly. But even so… they did save her.

Her head still hurt. She had a bump right in the middle in the back from slamming her head, and the side of her face was in bandages. One of the men in the house told her that they would fix her up quickly, but she couldn't see herself being healed from all her injuries for quite some time. The gash in her upper thigh was bandaged as well, although it still stung something fierce. She wasn't sure just when the blood on her was cleaned off, but she tried not to think about it too much. The last thing she needed was to get flustered when she was sure that her saviors were just trying to help… right? She was also in different clothes—a white nightgown that her mother had given her earlier in the year—, so they must have unpacked her things and… changed her.

She looked up at the ceiling and wondered if it was safe to try and sit up. She knew it would hurt either way, but she was hoping for the best. She placed her forearms on either side of her and pushed. She struggled with her own weight and the pain for a split second before giving up. She winced as she lay back down. But then she sat there for another minute and realized that she was hungry. She also had to use the restroom. So she tried it again.

This time, she pushed past the pain and made it into a slight sitting position, her upper body propped up by a couple pillows. She relaxed like that for a while, breathing in and out slowly to ease her frustration at not being able to move without the discomfort. She almost felt like she should be in a hospital.

She winced again when she felt a liquid soaking into the sheets. When she looked down she realized that blood was soaking through the bandages on her leg. She flinched back at the warm feeling and then squeezed her eyes shut. It felt like someone had thrown warm water all over her bed, even though it was only a little blood. The sight of it and the loss of it made her a little dizzy, though.

"You're just as bad as those men, wasting it like that," a voice said, and whoever it was didn't sound too happy. Yui looked up to find a new face—this man had purple hair and bright green eyes. His shirt was open at the top. He wore a tight frown and his arms were crossed over his chest. He sneered at her.

"Ayato, let her rest."

Yui turned to find the man with white hair leaning against the far wall. How did they get in here without making any noise or opening the door, anyway?

And then she blushed a little. This was the man who cradled her and carried her home. She could still remember the feel of him—of his arms holding her and her face leaned up against his chest. The smell of him, even… Out of all the things she couldn't remember, that moment was crystal clear.

"What's your name?" she quickly asked him, not caring that she sounded a little desperate to know. It wasn't so much that she was flustered, but that she felt like she had to thank him properly. Plus, he saved her and she didn't even know his name.

"Tch," the man said, uncrossing his arms and heading for the door. "Subaru," he said quickly, before opening the door and leaving. The one he called Ayato just shrugged and walked out after him. Neither of them shut the door, though, leaving Yui feeling a little exposed. She wanted to get up and close it, but she wasn't sure if she could make it.

Figuring she might as well try, she stood, and instantly felt her knees go weak, but before she hit the floor, an arm was around her, holding her up.

"What are you doing?" the voice asked angrily, and she looked up to find Subaru again. Her face blushed all the more at how close he was to her. "Just stay in bed. What do you want? Food? Drink?"

"I… I just wanted to close the door..." she said weakly, earning herself a deep frown from the white-haired man.

"There's no need."

"Just for some privacy—"

"You have no privacy here," he growled. "You're not alone in this house. It's not even your house. No one knows why you're here, and you're causing trouble for everyone. The door stays open. It's not like it would stop anyone from entering anyway."

"But..."

"You're just a nuisance. Stay in bed until you can walk on your own. I'm not coming back here if you fall again."

And then he lifted her up and gently placed her back on the bed with little-to-no effort.

"Subaru," she quickly said, expecting him to run out of the room and wanting to catch him before he left. He just turned to her, still frowning. "Thank you… for saving me before."

"Whatever." He turned again to leave.

"Subaru!"

He whipped around. "What do you want?"

Yui froze. Why had she called him back a second time?

"I just… don't want to be alone right now… I have so many questions about why I'm here and… and who are you guys?"

"That's not my problem," he snapped, before heading out the door, leaving Yui alone in the room again. The door was still open, and she wondered if he really wouldn't come back if she tried to close it again. She had a lot of unanswered questions, and staying in bed wasn't her way of finding things out for herself. Instead, and against her better judgment, she decided to try again. She sat herself up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, tapping the floor with the balls of her feet. Then, grabbing onto the headboard, she slowly put her weight on her legs and lifted herself up—

And she was thrown back down.

She heard a growling before she saw him for a third time that day. She was about to ask him why he came back when he said he wouldn't, but the man was seething, looking down at her, and her words got lost on her tongue.

"Enough. Are you going to make me strap you down?" he glowered.

"I wasn't trying to close the door..." she replied meekly. "I just wanted to see if I could get up..."

"Then get up!" Subaru grabbed her and hauled her to her feet. It was too fast, and her one leg gave out from the sharp pain that went up her thigh. She expected to fall, but instead he was holding her against him as she steadied herself.

She was instantly hit with his scent again, and she felt her face go red. She tried to push him away in her embarrassment, but he held her too tightly. What was that god-awful strength of his? He didn't even budge.

"Stop making me come back here," he said, narrowing his eyes. "Stand or rest. Decide."

"I want to walk around… I want to talk to someone."

"Well, clearly you can't walk."

"Clearly..." she muttered to herself, her rational mind wishing he would just let her go already. She tried to move her legs to a position under herself so that she could stand on her own, but every time she put weight on her injured leg, she would wince, and if he wasn't holding onto her, she would've fallen at least three times by now.

It felt like he held her for too long before he let her go, and Yui fell backwards onto the bed, her leg twisting a little too far as she fell. She winced again.

"Tch," Subaru sneered, and she noticed him looking at her leg. It was still bleeding through the bandages.

"I'm sorry about the sheets," she said, worried that he would be angry with her.

"Ayato was right. You're wasting it."

"Excuse me?" she asked, when he didn't look at anything else. He didn't seem to care much about the sheets, either. Instead, his eyes were fixed on her bandages, as if he was in a daze. "S...Subaru?" He shook his head and took a step back.

"Are you going to try that again if I leave?" he threatened, but Yui still wanted answers, so she courageously nodded her head once. The white-haired man's mouth twitched and she heard him snarl like a wild animal.

"Then I hope you fall and break something else while you're at it."

And then he was gone again.

Yui didn't know why, but she felt compelled to keep trying. She was forgetting things about herself, and all she had to go on was the present, and what was happening right now.

And unfortunately, she didn't know much about what was going on. Or what had happened and why. And she wanted answers.

Following the same procedure, she managed to sit upright once again and grab hold on the headboard. She positioned her hands to catch hold of the wall when she stood and slowly put the weight on her legs. Fortunately, the pain didn't stop her from standing, and she sidled against the wall to the door. She turned around and realized that a few drops of blood had followed her to the hallway and she frowned, mentally promising to clean it up when she was able to.

"And what do you think you're doing?"

Yui jumped, expecting to find Subaru again, but this voice was less angry and more… emotionless. She turned to find the orange-haired man from when she first arrived. The other young man that had gotten too close to her…

He still had his earbuds in, and he looked exactly the same as the first time she saw him—arms crossed, eyes open into slits, and a tired look on his face. Not like he was sleep-deprived, but tired of life, almost.

"I wanted to walk around," she stammered. Why was everyone trying to keep her in her room, anyway?

"Like that?" the man asked skeptically, and Yui blushed when he slowly looked her up and down, pausing once on her legs and again on her chest, avoiding her face for the most part. She looked down at herself and blushed a little more.

She didn't realize how see-through her clothes were. And her leg was spotted with dried and fresh blood. "You must have strange intentions, walking around here looking like that..."

"W-What do you mean?" She knew she needed a shower and she looked like a bomb blew up next to her, but she didn't even know where the bathroom was. And no one was even offering to show her or take her there.

"My brothers helped you the other night... Maybe you're trying to give them thanks?" he mused. "Just remember that the rest of us still live here, and you're looking quite tempting. Most of my brothers don't know the meaning of self-control, by the way…"

Yui took a step back. Was he threatening to attack her?

What did he even mean? They wouldn't really hurt her, would they? She just wanted a warm shower and some new clothes, and no one was even offering to help her. Instead, they threatened to hurt her for not looking… what? Decent? She was attacked, for god's sake!

"Would you mind… telling me where to find the restroom?" she asked slowly, keeping her eyes on the ground. She couldn't meet his gaze after the comments he made.

"I'm sure you could find it if you looked."

Yui's head snapped up in surprise and she looked at him.

"Are you trying to play a game?"

"Now, don't give me that pitiful face."

"Why don't any of you at least try to have a little empathy?" The man snickered, and she frowned. "I don't know why I'm here… None of you even seem to care. I just want to talk to someone and you all run away and leave me by myself. I don't know what's going on! I just want some answers!"

Yui hated the fact that her ranting brought tears to her eyes, but she couldn't help it. Her father was missing. Her mother was missing. She was forced to come here and spend her days with strangers who clearly didn't care about her. And now there were huge holes in her memory. What kind of a fate was this? What had she done to deserve something like this? Why would her father even send her here to begin with?

"You've been told that we don't understand why you're here, either, so for you to keep asking is rude. You should be grateful that we don't even know if you're telling the truth and we're letting you stay here for now. My brothers had to skip class to go out and find you when you ran off, and then take care of you when they brought you back. All you're doing is causing problems. Don't you realize that?"

"Then why not just let me leave?"

"Did it look like I was there when you were reclaimed? I don't give a damn what happens to you. You can do what you want. But don't hold me responsible for the consequences when you get yourself into trouble and I'm not there. Because I won't be. Ever."

"Why do you think I would need your help anyway?" Yui said, knowing that the comment was immature. She crossed her arms to accentuate her point.

Then, just as before, the man was standing over her, practically on top of her. His eyes were lidded and his warm breath was in her face. Yui was shocked and wide-eyed.

"Just be glad _I'm_ not the consequence, for now…" he whispered.

And then he just disappeared.

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Yui was back in her room for the next half hour, gathering her things. She knew that she could still make it to the city without running into trouble, but she decided that she would need to try and escape during the day. That way, she wouldn't get lost, or run into any bad crowds. Then all she would have to do is find a phone and call the police. She would tell them that her new guardians were threatening her and she didn't feel safe there. Not to mention the strange things that happened in this house.

People didn't just disappear. And they didn't fight off a hoard of men in two seconds. She didn't know exactly what happened that night, but neither the man with the hat—Laito—or Subaru, even batted an eye when it happened. She'd heard a brick wall shatter like it was made of old children's clay. And then they were all down. She didn't remember how many attackers there were, but they were all on the ground in a matter of seconds. And she remembered that Laito didn't even move a muscle. So, it was Subaru? He fought them all? But that was impossible… And Shuu's disappearing act was something else. One second he was standing there, and in the next he was just gone. They'd done that when she first arrived, too. Vanishing into thin air was a neat trick, but it looked so real when they did it.

Yui had considered the fact that the people in this house weren't real, and that there was something wrong with her. Maybe she was on something. Maybe the limo driver put something in her water and now she was just hallucinating.

But then there was no explanation for how she was saved. And the feelings she got when Shuu stood close, or the strange things that happened to her when she caught a whiff of Subaru's intoxicating scent. Those things couldn't be fake. She didn't have the imagination to come up with something that… good.

She recalled Shuu telling her that his brothers went to class, which was something else she was interested in. She wanted to continue her high school education. That was something that she expected to do once she moved in here, but it just never came up thus far. And the thought of having something normal in this strange place gave her a much-needed sense of control.

She still had to use the restroom, too, so she knew she would have to leave the bedroom eventually. She was just worried about another one of the brothers stopping her on her way and something bad happening.

She picked up a pair of new clothes from her luggage on the edge of the bed, and her brush and toothbrush, and cradled her things in her arms. Careful not to hurt herself again, she stood. It was getting easier, now that she knew how to do it with the least amount of pain. Her legs didn't give out anymore, either. She was hoping that her body was just adjusted now and she would start to heal a little better. The amount of healing that she had done already was another strange thing. She speculated that the house was haunted, because strange things happened when she was in it. But that didn't explain when she was saved from those men—that was at least a couple miles from the mansion. Nothing made sense to her here.

She left her temporary bedroom and took a left down the hall. Still, no one had told her where to go, so she figured she was on her own, as usual. She opened a few doors and realized that most of them were bedrooms, and many of them were made up with beds and dressers and desks and bookshelves. It was strange to see them all, considering that no one lived in them.

A few more minutes of exploring the second floor of the house and she found a door that opened into an extravagant master bathroom. The tan, tiled floor started on one level, where there was a counter with three sinks. And then the floor went up two steps and held a large bathtub in the middle of the room, against the farthest wall. The toilet was against the left wall. There were no curtains and the whole room looked very awkward. A larger tub sat against the rightmost wall, but it looked like a jacuzzi. A large cabinet and shelving unit stood next to it, holding a lot of bottles and towels and such. She was hoping to find an actual shower, but the tub was going to have to do for now.

The walls were bare and there were no windows. So she felt a little safer taking off the nightgown. She tried her best to ignore the fact that she was wearing nothing underneath as she ran warm water into the tub.

It took a few minutes, but when it was full, she reached in to feel it—it was the perfect temperature. She looked down at herself and wondered if it was safe to get in the water with her bandages still on. She frowned and reached down to take them off. She unwrapped it until the last layer, and she winced when the blood had dried the bandage to the gash. Squeezing her eyes shut and gritting her teeth, she ripped it off in one motion. She couldn't help but let out a little yelp and then a light moan from the stinging of a reopened wound.

She dunked her one foot into the tub and then the other, and she stood there for a few moments, not wanting to sit down yet, feeling the blood trickle down her leg, soiling the water in the tub already. She gently closed her eyes and pursed her lips and slowly sat down, wincing as the water passed over her gash and the pain of bending her legs to sit.

She stayed motionless for a few minutes as the water around her turned a slight red hue, and long ribbons of her blood swirled under the water. She tried not to look at it. Instead, she leaned her head back and dozed off for a little while.

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Yui opened her eyes and saw in a daze. She groaned in her grogginess. Everything looked glazed over.

The ceiling was very white—it looked whiter than when she first came into the bathroom, but maybe it was because of all the steam in the room. It made her feel even more groggy, surrounded by the foggy steam from the tub. Apparently, it had a heater built into it or something, because there was no way the water was still this warm. She knew she must have dozed off for at least a half hour, maybe forty-five minutes. She wondered if anyone even knew she'd left her bedroom.

She felt like her memories were getting worse, not better. She'd hoped that over time, some of what she didn't understand would come back to her. But nothing like that was happening. In fact, it seemed like the total opposite. She felt like the more time went by, and the more she thought about remembering, the less she could actually come up with. She was almost positive she had an explanation about her parents twenty-four hours ago. After all, wouldn't she have some knd of idea why both her parents went missing. And the people in this house… there was something about them, too, that she couldn't quite remember. She knew she'd run away from them because they'd scared her, but they also saved her, and no one here was trying to hurt her… So, what was it that she couldn't remember?

"What are you still doing in here?" a small voice asked, and Yui jumped in the tub, spilling water over the edges, onto the floor. She quickly brought her hands up to cover her bare chest and shot a glare over towards the door. But what she saw made her freeze in terror. And it wasn't just what she saw… It was who.

"Y...You're..." She trailed off, eyes widened at the purple-haired boy and his decrepit teddy bear under one arm. He looked just like any other young boy, but in a flood of fear and panic, one memory sparked in her mind. This boy… no, this monster… He would hurt her. And he would do it without blinking. He… he called her a toy… He said he would break her. Suddenly, all her emotions and adrenaline were on full blast and she was prepared to scream and run, but she couldn't move. For one, she wasn't wearing anything, and as soon as she got up from the tub, she would be bare in front of this… boy. And she couldn't stand the thought of that. The other thing that heightened her panic was that he was blocking the only exit.

"You're being very inconsiderate, you know," the boy said sadly, looking at the floor and swaying back and forth. "Teddy was supposed to have his bath ten minutes ago and you're still here..."

"I'm sorry," Yui quickly replied. "Just give me another minute and I'll be right out. Is that okay?"

The boy's face immediately went from innocent and sad to creepy. His grin spread across half his face and his teeth were too big for his mouth. And then he laughed, just like he had before, when she had been on the balcony, about to be pushed over the edge to her death. This was why she'd run away from this place. This boy had plans to kill her, and something told her that he wasn't going to just walk away this time—

"Oi."

Yui screamed when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She whipped around, clutching at her bare chest even harder as he heart pounded against her ribs. A yellow-green-eyed young man was looking down at her. She quickly brought her legs up to block her private area and curled herself into a ball.

"You don't have to cover up if there's nothing there," the new man said with a white-toothed smirk. "Pancake."

He placed his hand back on her shoulder and moved as if he wanted her to stand. Yui screamed at him again and slapped his hands away as hard as she could. She felt like a live wire, mentally and physically. Physically, she felt like she could sprint a mile. Mentally, all she could picture was the scene in the alley—men surrounding her, touching her in places she'd never been touched before, hurting her, cutting her, prodding, poking, slamming her against a wall… Everything from that moment was so vivid, and now it was going to happen all over again. She screamed once more as the yellow-eyed man grabbed her shoulders one more time, harder, and tears streamed down her face. This is why she ran… How could she just sit here and take a bath in this place? How could she have possibly forgotten the danger that she'd obviously run from before? What was happening to her? Why hadn't she remembered this? This was life or death.

"Ayato!"

Another voice. Another man. She flipped over in the tub and put her back to the ceiling, screaming out again, hoping someone would come rescue her again. But these monsters were the ones who had saved her before. Sow ho would save her from her saviors?

"Enough. You're scaring her. I can feel her terror from the other side of the house. Let her be."

"But Teddy needs his ba—"

"I said, enough. It can wait. Get out of here."

The purple-haired boy grumbled something under his breath, and then just disappeared. Yui flipped over and recognized the man with the orange hair and headphones—Shu.

"And you actually got up off the couch for this?" the yellow-eyed man snickered. There was something teasing about his tone.

"I'm trying to relax and I can literally feel you two scaring her. You were making it hard for me to sleep."

"Why do you care if she's afraid?" His tone was the same.

"Tch. Why'd you come in here, then?"

"My brother would have killed her. You know how he gets around new prey. He doesn't even try to hold back, and he knows it. He wouldn't care if he broke her."

"So, you care if he does?"

"Well, Reiji said she's here for a reason, right? I'm sure that means we need her alive."

"Is that all?"

"Well… did you smell that blood when Subaru brought her home? Not to be greedy, but I already called dibs. She's mine, and I don't want Kanato killing her before I even get a taste."

There was a pause, then Shu spoke again. "She's still afraid." Even with her head down in the tub, she could feel them both looking at her. She was naked—vulnerable. She was shaking and there was water all over the floor and under the tub. She just wanted them to go away. She didn't want to be hurt again. She didn't want to be attacked. All she could think of were pictures in her mind of the scene in the alley. She was held down. She was hurt. She'd been afraid. She remembered thinking that she was going to die then. She felt the same way now. These people were going to hurt her; she was sure of it.

A hand hit her back and she yelped, flailing an arm out behind her. She hit something, but another second passed and a hand was on her back again.

"Stop wailing like a child. I'm not here to hurt you, human."

"Get away!" she screamed. It was all she could do.

"So noisy… Hurry up. Get some clothes on. I'll take you back to your room. My brothers may want to stop you along the way. Either you come with me now, or you go alone. Decide. Now."

Something about his hand on her back calmed her, for no good reason. She knew she should still be afraid, but she listened to his words. He wasn't hurting her or threatening her. Instead, he offered to walk her back through the house, filled with people that could, and wanted to, hurt her. She was scared, but she knew better than to decline his offer, even in her panic.

She flipped over again, holding her palms to her breasts as cover, but the orange-haired man had his side to her. He stared at he opposite wall and held a white towel out to her. She paused for a moment, just staring at him. Why was he being kind to her? Why was he showing decency and turning away?

She grabbed the towel and quickly wrapped it around herself as she stood. Before she could say 'thank you,' Shu was over by the door. She jumped and, strangely enough, started to feel some kind of connection with this stranger, simply for showing her an ounce of kindness. She wasn't stupid, but she couldn't help it, either. The way he avoided eye contact, or the simple fact he was helping her… Maybe not everyone in this mansion was bad. Maybe that's why she'd come back… This one… And Subaru and Laito—the two that had saved her…

"Thank you," she said, as he opened the door and she passed under his arm. She didn't want to neglect to thank him for his kindness, and each passing moment seemed more awkward than the last.

He didn't reply, but instead just walked ahead of her for about a minute until he stood in front of her bedroom door.

"Thank you," she said again, not sure how else to converse with him. But this time he turned and looked at her, and his eyes went from her bare feet to her waist up to her chest and then his gaze rested on her collarbone. She gulped and gripped the towel tighter around her body. "I'll just be heading to bed now," she added, grabbing the doorknob and quickly opening the door for herself. She stepped inside and turned to shut it, but Shu was in the way. "M… May I help you with something?" she stammered, and his expressionless face suddenly held a tint of contempt.

"I just gave you a lot of my time, getting my younger brothers to leave you alone and bringing you back here, and you have the nerve to ask if _you_ can help _me_? What rights do you wrongly think you have here? Whatever they are, get them out of your head immediately." He took a slow but threatening step forward, into her room, and gently closed the door behind him, staring at her the whole time. "If I wanted something from you, I would take it. There would be no need for you to ask. On the other hand, If you're offering yourself to me..." He cocked his head to one side and watched her slowly shake her head at him, taking a step back. "Not even in your gratitude? How terrible of you. Now I'm going to have to take what I want."

"Please," she whispered, as Shu took another step towards her. She backed up in turn. "Please," she begged him. He took another step. Yui backed up until the backs of her legs hit the bed and she sat down, not having the strength to stand anymore. Shu was practically on top of her. And then he really was. He stood over her on the bed and the leaned forward and crawled to position himself, his chest parallel to hers. He stared down at her, all emotion drained from his face again. Yui couldn't help it when she started to cry.

"Don't you want to know how we can disappear the way we do?" he asked, but she shook her head. She didn't want any of this. She didn't want to be a part of this. "Here. Look."He opened his mouth and peeled back his upper lip, showing her a pair of sharp, white teeth. He didn't smile, and he closed his mouth right after, his face expressing his discomfort from peeling back his lip. "Your blood smells sweet," he whispered, leaning down. Yui was frozen, too much of everything clouding her. Her memories were blurry, and it took all her engery just to try and remember the things she forgot. And now this… whatever he was saying. Fangs, blood, disappearing acts… Nothing made sense. And a young man was on top of her, and he was intimidating, but he was beautiful at the same time. And it was impossible for her to think clearly with everything happening at once.

"I want to taste it." He leaned down, his breath on her neck, the smell of him getting in her hair. Her eyes widened and she could feel the panic rising again from her heart, building up in her chest, under her ribs. The pounding got harder and vibrated her body. She felt a sharp pain in her neck, and the physical trigger made her jump. And then she could move again, and she did everything in her power to buck him off of her. She squirmed and screamed and wriggled, but she wasn't going anywhere. He gripped her chin with his one hand, and the other one sneaked under her and around her waist, pulling her stomach into his. His lips seemed stuck to the side of her throat, and she knew why, but at the same time she couldn't believe it. She tried pounding on his back and pulling on his hair, but for some reason she felt as if she was hitting a doll. If she'd hurt him, it was hard to tell. He seemed to not care about her or what she was doing. The realization of that made her stop fighting, and she just let herself cry until it was over.

"Shh..."

Yui felt his one hand release her waist and move up to his head. In the next moment, he placed an earbud in her right ear. The music must have been on the lowest volume, because she could barely hear anything. But he cupped his hand over the earbud in her ear and she began listening to a soft, higher-pitched tune. It was slow and calming, and then she felt his fingers run through her hair, his mouth still fastened to the same place on her neck. She felt like she was getting weaker, but he was caressing her, and the music was lovely… She felt very tired.

Shu finally came up and put his face in front of hers, still emotionless. Yui's eyes were lidded and she could barely keep them open anymore. She stared at him, her mind watching his face with the soft music in her ear and the gentle touch running through her hair.

"I'll sleep beside you tonight," she heard him whisper, and he was moving her around—her head rested on a pillow and then there was a blanket over her and she was surrounded by a strange warmth. She didn't know why, because he'd just attacked her, but she wanted to thank him again... But her eyes were already closing.


End file.
